


Friends

by asexualjuliet



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 18:17:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20643566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asexualjuliet/pseuds/asexualjuliet
Summary: El knows a lot about friends.Or, the things El has learned from her friends.





	Friends

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in fifteen minutes on notebook paper instead of sleeping. Hope you enjoy!

El knows a lot about friends. 

-

Friends don’t lie. This is what Mike teaches her, that friends will do anything for each other. They’ll jump off cliffs and kill monsters if it means keeping you safe. Friends keep secrets, friends don’t break promises, and friends don’t lie.

-

Dustin teaches El that friends make you feel good. They say things like “That was so cool, El!” or “El, you’re so badass!”

(Friends also teach you words like “badass,” which means “pretty damn cool” in Dustin’s words and “something you’re not allowed to say,” according to Hopper).

Dustin teaches El that friends have big smiles and big hearts. That friends can make you laugh even as your world is falling apart.

-

Lucas teaches El that friends are loyal. 

(Loyal, five letters: someone who will stick by your side no matter what).

Friends are loyal and good, but Lucas also teaches her that friends make mistakes, and that we should forgive them when they do.

Lucas teaches her that you can’t judge a person by first impression, that someone who might seem mean at first can become a friend. 

-

Will teaches El a lot of things, like how to draw dragons and how to make mac and cheese and how to build the perfect pillow fort.

He also teaches her that friends hurt and friends heal. Friends talk about how they feel, and they tell you “it’s okay” when you cry. Friends say “I love you,” and friends care.

-

Steve teaches El that friends protect you when you’re in trouble. Friends put themselves in danger for you. Friends make you feel safe, and sometimes they even teach you the words to Michael Jackson songs so that you won’t feel left out on the car ride home from the mall. 

(Friends also drive you home from the mall and pretend you’re bothering them the whole time but you see the sparkle in their eyes and know they’re lying).

-

Max teaches El that boys suck and it’s okay if you don’t want to hang out with them all the time, because they can be assholes.

(“Not Will,” El points out, and Max has to agree).

Max teaches El about Wonder Woman and Stevie Nicks and skateboarding and nail polish, and she teaches El that friends are fun to talk to, that they understand you when no one else can.

-

El knows a lot about friends. 

After all, she learned from the best. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> All mistakes are my own, please let me know if you see any!
> 
> Kudos/Comments are greatly appreciated!


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